The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1887-10-28

Delights of Existence Ia the Land Of the
Niic-Quick Swinging Crops.

be an unfit residence for Europeans, but
that is mistake, and one which would
be less prevalent, perhaps, If it were not
fostcred by foreign officials, who wish to
prove that tho need a three months
holiday every year. OF course. if man
begins the day with brandy and soda and
unlimited lemon squashcs, followed up by
a heavy lunch. and then retires beneath
the mosquito curtains for a siesta until 8
o'clock, he will wake up unrefreshed. II
he then calls carriage and is driven
| about till dinner time, he will probably
only begin to feel alive about 10 o'clock.
| He will not feel disposed TO retire until
| the small hours, and will waken in the
| morning as weary as when he went To
| bed. This is a matter of course, for
which he should not blame the climate
much. Compared with Indian heat the
temperature of Egypt is refreshing; for,
however sultry the day may be, there is
"a long, cool night. The only real trial is
| the length of the hot season. A couple
of months of more intense heat would he
much easier to bear than the steady,
gentle grilling from May to October.
| But, after all, IN average temperature Ot
90 in the daytime out OF doors--which
may he reduced to 80 in the large native
rooms-sinking some 10 degrees or IL
degrees ut night, does not constitute
very formidable summer climate.
| 1t is interesting to study an entirely
different Egypt from that described by
the hundred and one authors who have
undertaken, at the solicitation Of their
friends, record of their experiences.
There is perpetual delight ia watching
the slow and solid rise of the mighty Nile.
swollen by the rains in uaeXplored
lands beyond the equator, roll
ing along its thousands of miles
below Khartoum without trib,.
tary, always giving to the thirsty tield.'
On either side, never receiving. bu,
ever flowing with daily increasing ti'ie
truly one of the worlds greatest won
ders. Gradually it fills the canals, and.
mounting its banks, climbs softly up till
it laps over and floods the landscape. tia
as fur as the eye CAR reach from the river
bed Egypt is one great lake. The villages
with their clusters of palms lie dotteo
here and there, like tiny islands i'm the
sea- and the fellah has time to cross his
hands and look Wn with silent pleasure at
the great Nile fructifying his acres with
rich mold from the heart of Africa.
Then as quickly ,or as slowly as it has
risen the river sinks. leaving stagnanr
pools which the sun ticks up. and the
new layer of mud cracks into great
chasms dear Ito the heart of the cultivation
and ready For the quick springing crop.
The fresh growth is almost miraculous
in its rapidity. Where one week all that
| hot b.,. 10 tJr al,
covered with waterfowl. ten days later
the lovely tender green of the young
corn or bcrseen is covering the land.
Then tire real work OF the fel;ih COM
mences; which is to prevent TOO much
water lying on his acres, aud yet to supply
the requisite amount of moisture. The
pickax and shovel, the donkey and camel.
baby girl and the baby hoy. all are
pressed into service, till gradually the
proper supply is obtained and the crop
springs up victorious, home for the
winter flight of quail and carefully pre-
pared hunting ground for the sportsman.
Wild duck and other aquatic fowl re-
joicc in the Nile flood. and goodly flock
of pelicans are to he found. The summer
plumnge Of the 1-year- birds is peculiar
| ~ beautiful. the underside of each feather
being of shell like rose color. One bird
will give eighteen inches square of the
most lovely feathers, and dozen skins
will make an opera cloak beautiful
enough to cause any woman's eyes to
glisten. Soon in lower Egypt the cotton
| fields are in full bloom, q mass of glorious
yellow between gold and primrose color,
whose blossoms mean money. Quickly
| the color fades to the universal brown of
the pods, till they break out again with
the snowy fluff of ripeness, and the cotton
crop is ready for the picker. Probably
not one i'm a hundred of visitors to the
| Nile land has ever seen II cotto, field in
flower 1t is one of the sights reserved
| for the summer martyrs.
| What the cotton plant is To the delta
the sugar cane is to the country between
Cairo and Assouan. The cane is laid
down in the early summer in pieces of
about q foot long, overlapping each other
in the long burrows. Boys then wall,
along stamping down the ends. and the
earth is turned over. The process of
taking root does not require much time.
and when once the spikes appear above
ground they shoot up almost visibly. by
tho end of August the planters work is
over, and he will tell you that there are
many worse places in which to spend the
summer than Bibeh, Magagah or Erment
! Tho morning rides and the moonlit strolls
through tho plantations would supply
material for slsetcling much less hack
neycd than mosques, pyramids and
| cainols.
Whatever Europeans may feel. sum-
| mer is the season the native really loves.
| In the winter he goes about with his
head wrapped up in multfarious shawls,
cursing che Franks who have brought
rain and cold, and bemoaning his own
hard lot The few piasters he can earn
will not afford him a fire. and his house,
il Inc has one. is wretchedly bare. In the
summer he can sprawl about on the
ground i'm comfortable warmth all night
long, and few beans in the pod or n
couple of yards Of sugar cane and n
pumpkin give him a cheap and delicious
meal. Dust is better than mud FOR bare
foot and the baking of thu sfIp ie ,,ira